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New Suits of Armor On View NOW

Check out four new suits of armor on view NOW in the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Armor Court! These stunning pieces are long term loans from the prestigious Imperial Armories in Vienna. The Imperial Armories today represents one of the most historically important collections of European arms and armor in existence, largely the result of the many alliances established through marriage by the Hapsburg dynasty. The diversity and artistic quality of this collection is due to Imperial demands—the taste, opulence, and military requirements of the Holy Roman Emperors, as well as those of related members of the Hapsburg dynasty.

Today, the armory at Vienna is part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum and represents the largest (about 15,000 objects) and best-documented collection of arms and armor in the world. The new loans include two jousting armors of the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I (1459-1519), a tournament armor of Archduke Charles II, and the boy’s armor of Ferdinand Karl, Archduke of Austria (1628-1662). They will remain on display for three years.

This loan was made possible by a gift of the Jack, Joseph, Morton Mandel Foundation.